Air separator



March 14, 1944. J. M. LAMouREux AIR sEPARAToR Filed July 7, 1941 3Sheets-Sheet y1 mvEN-ron ATTOR N EYS AIR `SEPARATOR Filed July 7, 1941 5Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS March 14, 1944. J, M, `LAMQUREUX2,343,985

AIR sEPAnATon v Filed July 7, 1941 3 sheets-Sheet 3 VIIIIIII INVENTORATTOR N EYS Patented Mar. 14, 1944 AIR` SEPARAT UR `oseph NE. Lamoureux,Mabtom, Wash., assignor to Yakima Chief'Ranches, Inc., a corporation ofWashington Applicationfluly- 57, 1941,.Seral=No-. 401,385. i

z elaims. (ol. 2091-154.)A

My invention relates. to new 'and useful im. movements inr airseparators.

An important.- object or my inventionl is the provision ofi a devicethat ispartly, thoughnot. exclusively, adapted to-separatelupulin fromhop;

sweepings. Thel device includes an inner sepa. rating chamber in whichthe materials: to be graded are thrown. outwardly by a .rotary distributorinto the path of'a rising currentaoffair.. A fan disposed abovethe separating Chamber and 'in an outerdistributingVv rchamber.generates the updraft of air in the `separating chamber and a downdraitin the distributing chamber, whereby todraw the relatively ne lupulinparticles upwardly into the distributing chamber and into the downdraftso that they may be discharged through a discharge chuteprovidediin.

the bottom of the chamber while. the coarser tailings or. sweepingsgravltate downwardly through the rising currenty of air to a separatedischarge chute: provided in the bottom ofI the separating chamber,whichv last-mentioned: dis.

charge chute also constitutes the-sole air inlet for the separatingchamber so that the. tailings willbe thoroughly agitated and swept bythe cur'- rent or air entering the chamber to eiect complete separationof the lupulin therefrom.

-Another object of my invention is to provide.y

a fan system that is uniquely constructed to permitall of the fan bladesto be simultaneously: a'djustedzto regulate the velocity of the currentof air'owing through the separating and distributing chambers.

Still another object. of my invention is` the'v provision of anapparatus of the` above-mentioned character that is simple in itsconstruction, inexpensive to manufacture and eiicientand, eiicaciousinthe .performance offits duties.

Other objects andadvantages of my invention will be apparent during thecourse ofthe following description.

In the drawings, forming a part of this specifrcation, and wherein likenumeralsareemployed to designate like parts throughout thev same, y

Figure 1 is a'vertical sectional viewof ana-air separator embodying myinvention;

' Figure2 is a top plan viewv thereof showing parts broken awayforclearnessof illustration,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary transversesectional view taken onthe'line 3 -3of Figure 1,

Figure4 4 is a. fragmentary vertical sectional` View takcnonthelinellll` of Figure 3, andA Figure 5 is; an enlarged fragmentaryvertical sectional; view takenon the line 5,-5;.of Figure. 1; In4 the,accompanying drawings, wherein; for,A the purpose of illustration, isshown a preferred :em-

bodiment of my invention, thenurnerals I0 and: II' designate respectiveouterand'inner shells-or:

casings l arranged yin vnested relation .andlnormally .heldinxed spaced.relation with each other by means of a plurality.-=of radiallyvextending, circunrerentiallv spaced web'sor ribs I2. As best illustratedin Figure 1, the outer shell I0 is formed with a lower cone-shapedportion I3fand` an upper cylindrical portion I5, both of said portionsbeingimper'forate with the exception of the discharge chute I5 providedat the lower endvof the cone-shaped portion. Theinner shell H is.`similarly formed with a lower cone-shaped pork:tionv 'IS and an uppercylindrical shaped portion It? and the'lower end of thecone-shaped'portion Iis formed with a downwardly and'laterallyextendingdischarge chute,v I8 which extends through a registering opening intheouter'shell4 adjacentto the discharge' chute I5. The shells may-besecured inthe above relation by.r any suitable means; however, I preferthat the webs I2. be welded' to the shellsr and that weld; material.

be placed in the mentionedl opening of the outer v' shell 'around thedischarge chute I8 whereby to provide an essentially4 integralYconstruction.

This. unique construction provides an inner separating chamber I 9 andJan outer distributing chamber 2li. Thematerial to be separated isintroduced into. theinner: separating chamber whereit is acted uponbyfforces which carry the lighter particles thereofupwardly. through a,centrally locatedopening 2| in the ltop 22, which top 4substantiallyclosesthe upper cylindrical portion of the separating chamber. Thelighter particles will thusY enterthe outer` distributing chambert-liand be discharged through thechute. I5 while theheavy, coarseparticles-ofthe material will gravitaterdownwardly'in; the innerseparatingzchamber and be separately ejected' through.

the dischargechute I8:

I1 propose to introduce: the material into the separating. chamberISthrougha vertically. die

posed: stationaryA tubular.. member: 23v which extendsV through the top24,2 of the outer shell,

throughthe opening 2| inthe tcp 22 of the in ner: shell and', terminatesslightly above the cone-shaped lower portion thereof. The end of:-thetubular-member extending above the top 2401 1 the outer shell isformed with a funnel-shaped hopper 25 in which the material rfnty beplaced for introduction into the inner shell; The inember-23wistelescopicallyreceived withinv a rotat-V able tubular; shaft 2Bwhichextendsrbetween the tops 22,1 and 2tj of theinnerand; outer shells,the

lower end 21'thereof extending slightly below the top 22 and the upperend 28 .thereof extending slightly above the top 24. The shaft issupported in this position by means of the flanged sleeves 29 and 30,which rotatably receive the upper end V,28 thereof, the radial flange ofthe upper sleeve 29 being bolted or otherwise fixedly secured to alsupporting bracket` and. therradial flange of the lower sleeve 30;beingboltedor i otherwise xediy securedY to the top '24 of' the The abovearrangement is best outer shell. v l illustrated in Figure 5, therespective sleeves being spaced apart to accommodate the pulley.

32 therebetween, which pulley isxediy associated with the shaft bymeans.of thev set screws 33. If desired, a plurality of shims 34 may begroove 36 of the'pulleyextends'around the d'riv-f ing. Wheel of an'lelectricn'iotor or othei` suitable drive means f(not.shown). vThe/lowerend 21 of.

the Vshaft iszprovided :with a langed collar 311 which is flxedlysecured thereto by means'of the set screws 38.; The radially extendingflange-ofi the collar 31 carries Va pluralitypofv depending,circumferentially' spaced rods 39 arrangedconcen'trically about theextending lower end. of the tubular memberj23. The' threaded lower endsof the rods support a distributing plate 49 slightly below the lower'endof the tubular member andA each ofthe rods'is 'provided with nuts 4labove and below the plate which may be threaded along therods to ifectadjustment of the plate rela-` tive to` the lower 'endrof the tubularmember.V The inner -wall of the tubular shaftv is spaced' slightly fromthe tubular member, which member is held concentrically in the shaft bymeans of an inwardly extending bearing portion 42 formed at. the lowerendv .of the shaft and by means of a suitable supporting bracket 43bolted, or'otherwise xedly secured, to the bracket 3l.- The bearingportionv 42 Vsnugly but rotatable engages the stationary tubular memberand the bracket43 is providedwith a clampingstrip 44 which' holdstheupper end of the'tubularmemberiixedly lpositioned atJall times.

It may' thus `be seenthat operation of `the driving: means will actthrough thermedium of Vthe endless be1t 35 to impart rotation to the'pulley 32;- By reason of the fact that the pulley is xedlyassoc'iatedwith the shaft 26, the shaft and distributing plate carried thereby willbe 1 rotated andY thespeed of rotation maybe suit` ablyregulatedby-proper control ofthe driving means. I-The Ymaterial withinthe separating chamber is separated by means of an updraft createdwithin the chamber and-'I propose toV generate this-draft by a pluralityof blades' 45 mounted o n the portion ofthe rotary shaft ex-v tendingbetween the respectivetopsof the inner and louterV shellspjThe fanassembly includesa plurality lof equi-spaced radially extending"spindles 46 having the inner ends thereof :xedly secured tothe radialflange 41 formed on the shank substantially medianly between the tops ofthe respective shellsI by any suitable means such as the U-bolts 48 andnuts V49. YEachof the fan blades has a tubular sleeve 50 welded,

or otherwise iixedlyv secured, to one side thereof at substantially itsmiddle, .which sleeves 'rotat-" ably receive arespective one of thespindles 46.

The pitch of each of the fan blades may therefore be adjusted byrotating the sleeve portion about its supporting spindle.

I haveprovided means for uniformly and simultaneously adjusting all ofthe fan blades. which means includes a flanged collar 5| rotatablymounted on the shank above the fan blades. Thecollar is supported `by anintegral radial flange 52 formed on the `shank and is normally held infixed association with the shank by means of a set screw 53. A pluralityof upstanding, circumferentially spaced sleeve beari ings '5 4'.l areformed on the flange of the collar 5|, one bearing being provided foreach of the vfan blades and each of the bearings rotatably -receivesthe-shank yportion 55 of a clevis member 58. 'Ihe bifurcations of theclevis members hang 'ffdownw'ardly from the flange and a washer 51 lisslipped over the portion of the shank 55 ex- 20 tending above thebearing, which washer seats against'the adjacent end of the bearing anda cotter key 5B, or the like, is slipped through an opening formed. inthe shank above the washer-.to .hold the ,shank rotatably mounted jWithin'the bearing Each of the clevis members is connected'to arespective one of the fan blades by'a suitable linkage which includesother clevis members .59, the shank portions of which 'arereceivedwithin transverse sleeves 6| welded, or otherwise xedly secured,to the inner ends of thetubularmembers 50 of the fan blades. The

bifurcations of the last-mentioned clevis mem- Y bers extend upwardlyabove the supporting ksp'indles anda suitable link bar E2 has theopposite ends thereof pivotally journaled between the bifurcations' ofthe respective clevis members 5zand59. l

It may thus be seen that upon retraction of the set screw 53, theflanged collar 5l may be rotated about the shank 26 and that suchrotation will actthrough the medium of the linkage hereinabove describedto simultaneously rotate each of the fan blades about its supportingspindle.lAll of the parts comprising the linkage assembly are identicalandthe movements of the fan-blades will therefore be similar anduniform. Figure 4 best illustratesy the operation ofr the fan actuatingassembly. By moving the flanged collar-5l .to the left, the fan bladeswill be rotated in amanti-clockwise direction'and by rotating Ytheflanged collar to the right, the fan blades Amay be rotated in aclockwise direction. The unique arrangement herein provided permits thefan bladesto beimoved to an arc of substantially by relatively slightmovement of the flanged moving the flanged collar between these limitsthe fan blades may be shifted from a substantially horizontal to asubstantially vertical position.

Obviouslyirotation of the'shank will also effect rotation of lthe fanblades* and, by regulating the 'pitch'of the blades, anfupdraft-may becreated in the'inner separating chamber I9 andA a downdraft'createdinthe outer distributing chamber 20. iAlso; by adjusting the pitch ofthe blades and by controlling the speed of rotation of the 'same, thevelocity of the currents of air created thereby may be selectivelyvaried. Attention is directed to the fact that the housing unit isimpervious except for the discharge chutes l5 and I8] andit willVtherefore `be necessary that the updraftlof air within `the innerseparating chamber enter through the chute I8 and that the downdraft ofair in the outer distributing chamber 2i) issue through the dischargechute l5.

I have developed this arrangement primarily for the purpose ofseparating lupulin from hop sweepings. These sweepings usually compriseapproximately 5% lupulin, which is intermixed with a mass of coarseheavy material consisting of hop blossoms, leaves, chaff and dirt. Thiscombination of materials is introduced into the separating chamberthrough the stationary tubular member 23. The material will drop ontothe distributing plate 40 which is being rotated at a relatively highrate of speed by means of the driven shaft 26. Obviously, the shaft isalso rotating the fan blades t0 create an updraft current of air in theseparating chamber and a downdraft current of air in the distributingchamber. As the material falls upon the distributing plate it will bethrown outwardly by centrifugal action. The effect of the aboveoperation will be to spread the material in a horizontal sheet extendingfrom the plate to the inner wall of the shell Il in a manner to permitthe ne particles of lupulin to be readily separated from the heaviercoarser particles. The air rising within the separating chamber willgather the essentially light lupulin particles and carry the samethrough the opening 2| and outwardly into the distributing chamber 20.The velocity of the updraft current of air is regulated so that it willnot be sufficiently strong to carry the heavier particles of thematerial into the distributing chamber. It is readily apparent that theparticles of lupulin entering the distributing chamber will be carrieddownwardly by the draft of air therein and discharged through the chutel5. The heavier particles of the material remaining within theseparating chamber will gravitate downwardly into the lower cone-shapedportion of the inner shell and against the updraft of air enteringthrough the chute I8. Obviously, as the material moves into the chute itwill be thoroughly agitated by reason of the constricted dimensions ofthe chute and lower end of the housing to effect an essentially completeseparation of any particles therefrom of suiiicient lightness to becarried upwardly by the draft of air. The particles too heavy to becarried by the draft of air will fall into the chute i8 and bedischarged exteriorly of the housing. By providing a constructionwherein a single opening or chute is used to admit air into the housingand to also discharge the relatively heavy sweepings therefrom, aconstruction has been developed which will assure substantially completeseparation of the lighter particles from the heavier particles of thematerial and` by providing separate chutes for the fine and coarseparticles of the material, they may be directed into separate containerspreparatory to distribution.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown anddescribed, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and thatvarious changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, or scopeof the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination with an air separator casing, a vertical hollow shaft,a drive member fixed to the shaft, a bearing for rotatably supportingthe said shaft and drive member, a feed tube extending through the shaftand spaced therefrom, the lower end of the shaft having an internalshoulder portion bearing against the feed tube, a plurality of spindlesfixed to and extending radially from the shaft` at icircumferentiallyspaced intervals, a sleeve mounted to turn on each spindle, a fan bladexed to the sleeve, a tubular bearing element fixed to one side of eachsleeve and disposed vertically at its inner end, a stem pivotallymounted in the tubular bearing, a U-shaped element formed on the saidstem and projecting above the tubular bearing, a link bar having itsends pivotally connected with the U- shaped elements' of a pair ofadjacent blade sleeves, an angularly adjustable collar mounted on theshaft above the spindles, a horizontal flange `forme/d on the saidicollar, a plurality of circumferentially spaced vertical bosses formedon the collar flange in registration with openings therein, a stemmounted to turn in each boss, and an inverted U-shaped element dependingfrom each last; mentioned stem pivotally connected to the medial portionof each link :bar whereby angular adjustment o'f the collar will effectsimultaneous adjustment of the fan blade.

2. In blower mechanism of the character `described, a rotary shaft, acircumferential flange formed on the shaft, a plurality of spindlesdetachably fastened to the said flange and extending radially of theshaft, a second flange formed on the shaft spaced axially from the rstmentioned flange, a collar supported :for angular adjustment on the saidlast mentioned flange, means for releasably locking the said collar inset position, a circumferential flange formed on and projecting from thecollar, a plurality of bearing sleeves fo-rmed on the collar flange, inregistration with openings therein and parallel with the axis of theshaft, a sleeve mounted to turn on each spindle, a blade fixed on thesaid sleeve, a tubular bearing element secured to the inner end of thesleeve and at right angles to the axis thereof, a stem mounted to turnin each tubular bearing element, a U-shaped pivot; member formed on oneend of the stem and projecting from the bearing element, a link barhaving its ends pivotally connected to each adjacent pair of theU-shaped members, a stem rotatably mounted in each sleeve on the collarflange, and a U-shaped pivot element attached to the said stem andprojecting axially of the collar flange pivo'tally connected to theintermediate portion of each link bar for simultaneous adjustment of theflan blade on angular adjustment of the collar.

JOSEPH M. LAMOUREUX.

